Introduction to Logical Geometry

Language and Logic Courses

Introductory Course

Aristotelian diagrams, such as the square of opposition, have a rich history in philosophical logic, and today they are also widely used in other disciplines, such as linguistics and computer science. In recent years, these diagrams have also begun to be studied as objects of independent logical and diagrammatic interest, giving rise to the burgeoning field of logical geometry.

This course will

give students a sense of the wide and interdisciplinary range of (sometimes unexpected) applications of Aristotelian diagrams,

discuss some of the fundamental logical and diagrammatic issues related to these diagrams, and

introduce the methods and tools developed in logical geometry for studying these topics.

In particular, we will deal with applications such as Russell’s theory of definite descriptions and formal concept analysis, logical and diagrammatic issues such as Aristotelian vs. duality vs. Boolean structure, logic-sensitivity and informational vs. computational equivalence of diagrams, and methods such as bitstring semantics.